STMicro doubles speed of EEPROM, preps chip for automotive systems

GENEVA--STMicroelectronics today introduced a faster version of its serial peripheral interface (SPI) 256-kilobit EEPROM to support 10-MHz clock frequencies at 5-volt operation and a range of 2-to-5-MHz at 2.5 volts.

The new M95256 serial EEPROM has been specified for a range of applications in telecommunications, computers and automotive electronics, said STMicroelectronics. The clock rates have been doubled from the existing frequencies of the M95256 electrically-erasable PROMs.

In addition, the nonvolatile EEPROM can now be programmed in 5 ms instead of 10 ms, said the European chip maker.

The SPI EEPROM is also now available in a S08 narrow (150-mm wide) package, which STMicro said is the smallest package proposed for 256-Kbit capacity chips.

The M95256 is available in a standard temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C, and now it also has been specified for the automotive range of -40 to +125 degrees C with a 5-MHz clock speed and 5-ms programming time. As a result, the EEPROM can be used in new telematics systems and high-end powertrain applications in vehicles, said the company.

The EEPROM is accessed through a fast serial SPI bus with a supply voltage of 2.5-to-5.5 V. ST said it is planning other voltages in the near future to cover 1.8-to-3.6 V.